Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
970–25K
2125–50K
1650–75K
475–100K
4100–150K
2150K+
144 reports with mileage · 187 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
Electrical System. Review the 129 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Engine. Review the 32 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Service Brakes. Review the 28 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
31 crash reports32 fire reports13 injury reports
What owners actually said
331 reports
Mileage unknown · Oct 13, 2021
Air BagsCrashInjury
Vehicle sustained total loss due to unexplained deployment of side airbags when collision was limited to the front. Toyota was asked to check and their response did not address my concerns about the unnecessary deployment. I had expressed concern about the pre-collision warning/emergency braking systems in e-mails with my Toy…
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Vehicle sustained total loss due to unexplained deployment of side airbags when collision was limited to the front. Toyota was asked to check and their response did not address my concerns about the unnecessary deployment. I had expressed concern about the pre-collision warning/emergency braking systems in e-mails with my Toyota dealership well in advance of the accident. It appeared to not be triggered although they said it was working. The files/photos are on another device. I can supply upon request.
NHTSA ODI #11436562
Mileage unknown · Sep 28, 2021
Visibility/wiper
Was driving down the highway at 70 MPH and moon roof glass exploded out of nowhere. There were no warning signs and nothing struck the vehicle before the glass shattered.
NHTSA ODI #11434711
28,600 miles · Sep 23, 2021
Electrical System
The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact attempted to start the vehicle however, the vehicle would not start. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the battery was drained and needed to be replaced. The dealer r…
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The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact attempted to start the vehicle however, the vehicle would not start. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the battery was drained and needed to be replaced. The dealer replaced the battery however, the failure recurred several weeks later. The vehicle was towed back to dealer who inspected the vehicle again and diagnosed that the battery was not charging correctly due to the high-power amp fuse being blown. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 28,600.
NHTSA ODI #11434084
Mileage unknown · Aug 27, 2021
Tires
Michelin latitude tour HP i-225/65r17 I am writing to you in order to let you know that I bought this used Toyota Rav4 2018 with 28,000 miles. I was told that the tires were new. One of the tires was not new and had already been fixed before, certainly not in a safe way. I just want you to know and report it to Toyota, I would…
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Michelin latitude tour HP i-225/65r17 I am writing to you in order to let you know that I bought this used Toyota Rav4 2018 with 28,000 miles. I was told that the tires were new. One of the tires was not new and had already been fixed before, certainly not in a safe way. I just want you to know and report it to Toyota, I would have appreciated them if they had told me the truth since in that car I ride my daughters. Happy afternoon.
NHTSA ODI #11430736
Mileage unknown · Aug 24, 2021
Air BagsForward Collision AvoidanceVehicle Speed ControlCrashInjury
I was turning into a parking spot at my doctor's office when my car engine revved up and sped through the doctor's office nearly hitting my doctor and another patient. My airbags did not deploy. I had my foot on the brake but it did not stop the car. The automatic emergency braking system and forward collision warning did not wo…
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I was turning into a parking spot at my doctor's office when my car engine revved up and sped through the doctor's office nearly hitting my doctor and another patient. My airbags did not deploy. I had my foot on the brake but it did not stop the car. The automatic emergency braking system and forward collision warning did not work. My car had to be towed and is now waiting to see if it can be fixed but with the safety features that I paid extra for, I'm not sure that I would even buy a new one of this particular model. I came very close to killing my doctor and that patient!
NHTSA ODI #11430371
Mileage unknown · Aug 23, 2021
Unknown Or Other
Back up camera fills with Water. when it rains and cannot see from it til it dries out a few days after rain and even then it’s cloudy probsbly due to rain getting into it
NHTSA ODI #11430198
Mileage unknown · Aug 12, 2021
Steering
The Electric Power System warning light came on for the first time and my car will not start.
The first incident happened on June 9, 2021. I was turning right very slowly into a parking spot at a grocery store when the car suddenly accelerated rapidly, even when I depressed the brake very hard. My car hit a row of small trees that formed a border between the parking lot and the street. The impact was so hard that there w…
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The first incident happened on June 9, 2021. I was turning right very slowly into a parking spot at a grocery store when the car suddenly accelerated rapidly, even when I depressed the brake very hard. My car hit a row of small trees that formed a border between the parking lot and the street. The impact was so hard that there was over $5,000 in damage to the front of the car. I was in shock as it felt like the car was out of control. The second incident July 27, 2021. Again, I was turning right to reach the exit of a parking garage at a medical clinic. I was going very slow because I was approaching the ticket booth to exit the parking garage. Just as I completed the turn, the car accelerated and lurched forward toward the arm that keeps cars from exiting. I was able to stop the vehicle by pressing the brake hard, and I did not hit the arm at the exit point. Again, it was shocking and very frightening for this to happen.
NHTSA ODI #11428580
Mileage unknown · Jul 21, 2021
Exterior LightingVisibility/wiperCrash
The headlights on my Rav4 are dangerous. When driving at night there is a dark line with no visibility. There is no reaction time if objects are in the roadway. I live in a rural area, on my way to work there was a pine tree that fell across the road way,I crashed straight into it. I did not even see it until I hit it.
NHTSA ODI #11425889
70,000 miles · Jul 19, 2021
Back Over Prevention
The contact owns a 2018 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated when shifting gears to reverse, the back over prevention camera failed to function as designed. The contact stated he shifted the gear to park and back to reverse and the camera operated as designed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor …
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The contact owns a 2018 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated when shifting gears to reverse, the back over prevention camera failed to function as designed. The contact stated he shifted the gear to park and back to reverse and the camera operated as designed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2013-2018 RAV4 vehicles. Certain replacement 12-volt batteries may not fit properly in the battery tray, allowing the battery to move and contact the hold-down bracket, possibly causing a short circuit.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A battery short circuit increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the battery clamp sub-assembly, battery tray, and positive terminal cover, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed December 27, 2024, to 2013-2014 RAV4 owners. Additional owner notification letters will be mailed in phases, phase 2 will begin on May 14, 2025, and phase 3 in late July 2025. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 23TB13 and 23TA13.
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Toyota Camry, Corolla, Rav4, Sienna, and Yaris iA vehicles equipped with factory-installed floor mats. The load carrying capacity modification label may be incorrect. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An incorrect label may lead to unintentionally overloading the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: SET will notify owners and provide a corrected label for placement over the inaccurate label, free of charge. The recall began August 23, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. SET's number for this recall is SET19A.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Toyota 4Runner and Tundra, 2018 Toyota Highlander, RAV4 and Lexus GX460 and 2017 Toyota Sienna and Tacoma vehicles. These vehicles may have incorrect load carrying capacity modification labels. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An incorrect load information label can result in the operator overloading the vehicle and increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners and provide them with corrected labels, free of charge. The recall began on January 23, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are H0Z for Toyota vehicles, and HLF for Lexus vehicles.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1
PE21005 · Battery Hold Down Bracket Thermal Events
Opened Feb 25, 2021 · Closed Aug 12, 2024
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Electrical SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V Battery
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE) to understand the contributing factors and frequency of vehicle fires originating from the battery region of the engine compartment in Model Year (MY) 2013-2018 Toyota RAV4 vehicles on 25 February 2021. At the time of opening, ODI attributed eleven allegations and additional EWR events to this PE. PE21005 focused on replacement batteries installed in the subject vehicles. No reported fire event identified in PE21005 involved the originally supplied 12V battery. The reported fires took place in vehicles known to contain aftermarket batteries or whose age exceeded the expected life of the original equipment battery. ODI identified battery dimensioning as it relates to the battery retention system (hold down bracket, radiator support bolt, J-hook, and battery tray) as the main factor set in the contact between the battery hold down bracket contacting the positive terminal of the 12V battery. The subject vehicles carried over the same battery tray and retention system from the prior generation (MY2006 – MY2012) of RAV4 vehicles. However, the subject vehicles were equipped with a dimensionally smaller battery (Group 35) than the prior generation (Group 24F). The smaller- length measurement in the Group 35 battery size in a battery tray originally designed to fit a Group 24F battery contributed to increased potential for battery movement which was exacerbated by the diversity in aftermarket battery configuration and irregularities intrinsic to battery replacement procedures. Battery movement coupled with the proximity of the B+ terminal on the battery and the grounded electrically conductive hold down bracket set the stage for a short to ground leading to an engine stall (if in operation) followed by a vehicle fire. This investigation was not able to classify the installation status, battery size, or cause of every allegation due to the fire event causing damage to the area, inaccessible vehicle, modification to the battery retention system after the event, and/or inconclusive photographic evidence. Toyota's investigation of the issue identified aftermarket battery catalogs that listed an improper battery replacement size (Group 26R) that would nevertheless fit into the subject vehicles whose battery retention system is incapable of reliably restraining a Group 26R battery. On 18 November 2021, Toyota initiated a consumer advisory campaign (21TG01) to the subject vehicle owners, notifying them of the correct size battery and offering a free inspection of the battery and retention hardware, a caution label to affix to the hold down bracket, and a discounted replacement 12V battery. This investigation with Toyota established three broad categories to characterize the battery retention system state of a given vehicle: "correct", "minor mis-installation", and "major mis-installation". - The "correct" terminology references the front bolt, bracket, and J-hook installed in a position not in contact with the positive battery terminal and the front bolt torqued to 17 Nm and the J-hook engaged with the tray hole and torqued to 4.9 Nm. - A "minor mis-installation" would describe the three retention components installed in the prescribed location, however not to the correct torque values. - The "major mis-installation" condition would constitute a retention component missing or disconnected from the system. Toyota's own testing used five exemplar batteries installed on a subject vehicle in each battery categorization resulted in: - Contact between the B+ terminal and hold down bracket in "major mis-installations" - Movement of the battery in "minor mis-installations" - No observable motion in "correct" installations. ODI conducted its own evaluation of the Toyota- specified replacement battery and 5 aftermarket Group 35 batteries. The six batteries tested conformed to the Group 35 Battery Council International (BCI) standard on overall dimensional tolerance and terminal location. That standard does not define the edge shape or material of battery casing. Physical interaction between the hold down bracket and the battery case and the friction between the casing material and the battery tray resulted in a large variability in movement forces required to incite movement when the battery was installed in the "correct" condition. Resulting in movement at an induced lateral load between 0.6 G and 1.91 G equivalent force across each battery. This force is higher than a typical vehicle could exert in a steady state turn and would only experience loads through brief shock or impulses. Multiple shock or impulse loads across time would contribute to a delay between the replacement battery installation and the fire event. Likelihood of a fire event increases as the installation method degraded from the "correct", to "minor mis-installation", and then to "major mis-installation". Protruding vent caps atop some of the batteries tested aided in restricting battery movement relative to the hold down. An absence of vent caps permitted additional movement. Following several discussions and vehicle inspections with ODI during this investigation, on 01 November 2023, Toyota filed a safety recall (NHTSA 23V-734) of 1,853,568 MY 2013 through MY 2018 Toyota RAV4 vehicles to reduce the risk of a vehicle fire with redesigned battery retention components. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
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